


A Conversation on Love

by ShannynFaucheux



Series: The Philosophy of Violence [1]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Bittersweet, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, It is ridiculous how hard I tried to stay in character, Like.. we're talking about a twelve year relationship here, Love, M/M, Nostalgia, Red Velvet Cake, Slice of Life, So please consider that, The first chapter is basically gay uncles spending an entire day with Akane, The second chapter is domestic fluff and a little smut, Watch Mikiya that's how you be a good dad, Which she deserves omg, dialogues, that you argue about whether or not to peel the tomatoe you'll use for cooking, there is a..description of a violent act?? at the end? I mean they are yakuza?, twelve years of relationship means
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-19 15:47:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20659712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShannynFaucheux/pseuds/ShannynFaucheux
Summary: They spend a day with Awakusu Akane, conversations and nostalgia happens.





	1. Red Velvet Cake, and a talk on Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drx/gifts).

> I.. didn't edit this so much. Because I am stressed, and my uni starts tomorrow. OMHGHMH:(

Part One – Red Velvet Cake, and a talk on Love;

The couple greeted Awakusu Akane outside the hallway that lead to Shiki’s room. The smile she had on contrasted against the dark brown painted walls and couple random paintings.

She waved at them; ‘’- Uncle Akabayashi! Shiki-san! ‘’ Shiki held the ornated cane Akabayashi extended to him while she ran and hugged her _‘uncle’_;

‘’- My father said I was going to be with you for today. ‘’

Shiki connected his hands on top of the cane and gave a nod of his head as a greeting; ‘’- That is true, young miss. ‘’ _Since the lines throughout the groups in Tokyo were uneasy nowadays, it was best for her to stay by the two feared executive’s side. _

‘’- Now, where should we go? ‘’ Akabayashi asked from where he stood crouched in front of the girl; looking as excited as her. Akane put a small hand under her chin and thought for some time, then her eyes beamed;

‘’- I know! Some girls at the school were talking about a new cafe. We can go there, and try their cakes. ‘’ On that, Akabayashi stood up, Akane was already holding his one hand.

The executive wearing a white suit extended him his cane back; his expression was relaxed, which was rare. Akane dragged the taller man down the hallway, excitedly telling him about her day. Shiki followed them after locking the door of his room and putting the key into his pocket.

A floor down, just before the exit door, Akane stopped for a moment. She turned and looked at the executive behind, then extended her other hand to him. Akabayashi lowered his head and hid a smile on the move.

It would be inappropriate to turn down the request, Shiki complied and held her hand. As they walked past the automatic exit door, Shiki turned his head. Opening his eyes bigger, he sent _a look_ to the underlings watching them leave; _‘ If you like your eyes where they are sticked in, then turn your heads back to your work’_, could be the translation of the look. Some coughing, some lowering their head and escaping their _beloved_ eyes, all went back to work.

‘’- We can walk there, the weather is nice today. ‘’ Akane offered. This calm spring day, the sun was shining against the glasses of a flower shop. The old man washing the glass gave a nod of his head to Akabayashi, _and with that; Akabayashi was informed there was no danger around_. So he looked at Shiki and nodded.

‘’- However you want, miss. ‘’ Shiki said, and with that, the three walked two streets up to a slightly crowded cafe.

The establishment had no _‘theme’_ to it, but it looked clean and was tastefully designed. For strategic reasons that the girl wasn’t going to learn about, they chose a table by the windows where people passing the street could easily be seen. A waitress extended them menus, Shiki gave some time for Akane to choose as he too, flipped the glossy paper to see the coffee selection. Akabayashi caught him;

‘’- You’ve had four coffees today. Here-‘’ He showed him the pages where tea names from various countries were listed, and their _‘benefits’ _were explained shortly; ‘’- Drink tea. More flavors, less tremors. ‘’ Shiki objected;

‘’- I don’t have any tremors. ‘’ On that, Akabayashi lifted his brows as in _‘really?’_, and held his hand flat in the air. He pointed Shiki to do the same, the other did, and raised his pale hand next to the tanner hand. Akabayashi and Akane saw the slight tremor on it, and the girl chuckled.

Shiki lifted a brow up and turned his head to the window, his hand withdrawing. A slow music was mixing into the chatter of the customers. After a while, the waitress came back to take their order. Akabayashi pointed Akane to give her order first;

-‘’ Can I have red velvet cake and fruit juice? ‘’ She said, the waitress nodded and wrote her order to a small notebook. After that, Akabayashi poked Shiki’s right shoulder; ‘’- You? ‘’ Shiki told his order without separating his eyes from the window;  
-‘’ I’ll have a red velvet cake too, and Turkish tea, if it’s fresh. Thank you. ‘’ The waitress told them the tea was indeed fresh. Akabayashi smiled and gave her the menus back;  
-‘’ And I will have orange cake and Turkish tea too. Thank you, miss. ‘’ With that, she nodded and went to prepare their order.

While waiting, the girl started a conversation;

-‘’ Ne.. Uncle Akabayashi, Shiki-san..’’ Hearing her, Shiki turned and gave his attention to her. She continued; ‘’- My friends were discussing about something today. They asked me what I think about it, but I couldn’t answer, as I didn’t know what they were talking about exactly..’’ Shiki’s one brow lifted once again, he sent a look to Akabayashi, then asked;  
-‘’ What is it? ‘’  
_ -‘’ Does love exist? ‘’_

_It was almost comedic, the way the executives answered simultaneously;_

-‘’ Yes. ‘’ Shiki said.  
-‘’ _I don’t think so._ ‘’ Was Akabayashi’s answer. On that, Shiki turned his _stabbing_ brown eyes to him and put a hand towards his face to mask his next words from the small child;  
-‘’ It’s been eleven years, bastard, when have I not given you love? ‘’ He also poked the other’s pants with the point of his shoe, the move hidden under the table; ‘’- If love hasn’t grew on you in all these years, then go get your _stems_ checked. ‘’ Akabayashi pressed a hand to his stomach and broke into a laughter shortly after that sentence;  
-‘’ How cruel, _Shiki-no-danna_, I was only joking. ‘’ At the same time, the girl was staring at them, slightly confused. Shiki cleaned his throat and went into the talk;  
-‘’ So, miss, you’re saying that you couldn’t answer, because you don’t know what _love_ is? ‘’ On that, Akane nodded.  
-‘’ I see..’’ It was then two waitresses came with their order. They placed the drinks first, and the cakes were on mint-green plates. Shiki thanked the waitresses and dragged the red coloured tea towards himself. Akabayashi lowered his glasses to the bridge of his nose and sent a mischevious look to Akane before creeping a hand to the other executive’s shoulders;  
-‘’ Then wouldn’t it be best to hear from the great executive Shiki Haruya; what love is supposed to be like. Right, Akane? ‘’ He also cued at her to nod. She fixed her eyes to Shiki and nodded then.

Shiki sighed. A silence fell between the trio as Akabayashi pulled his hand back, then Shiki tasted from the velvet cake. _Nostalgia, and clatter of forks on plates;_

‘’- I think love happens when it makes _sense_, miss Akane. But _sense,_ is an _attribution._ Through words, actions, or _even with the simple move of eyes_, _the lover and the loved_ can _attribute _meaning to the word we’re talking about. Or else, what is happening would be insincere_, and you might have to be careful_. ‘’

Akabayashi took over, cutting a piece from the orange cake, and placing it to the other’s plate for him to try it too; ‘’- Basically, you shouldn’t fight for the other’s love, Akane. Because love is not a war. ‘’ He cut a piece for the girl listening to them with shining eyes too. He then put the knife to the side, and smiled to the girl; ‘’- _You do understand nowadays;_ this is a world where we spend our lives fighting, _mostly to survive_. And love, _is where you rest_. ‘’

The girl thought their words for some time, sipping on fruit juice, then said; ‘’- So.. I don’t feel _tired_ when I am with someone who I love? ‘’ Shiki smiled, a line appeared next to his right eye;

-‘’ Exactly. ‘’ Akane tasted from the orange cake the red haired yakuza has placed onto the mint-green plate, and looked at him;  
-‘’ Does that mean Shiki-san doesn’t have anyone he loves? _Um_..because he looks tired all the time? ‘’ Akabayashi held his snort and turned his head sideways on that.

Letting out something of a chuckle, Shiki calmly lifted his tea cup;

  
-‘’ Oh I can assure you I am not feeling tired _right now_, miss Akane. ‘’ He slightly pointed at the man beside him, then watched in great _joy_ as Akabayashi immediately froze.

Akabayashi first looked at Akane; _for whom the_ _penny hasn’t dropped yet_, then looked at Shiki.

It was his turn to hide his words, he lifted his tea cup too and hid his face behind it. He leaned towards the white suited executive and mumbled; ‘’- Ten years later, if this girl brings a woman to his father, _instead of a man_, Mikiya will stick the gun to our heads, Shiki. You know that, right? ‘’

Shiki huffed an unconcerned laugh, the colours under his eyes looked more vibrant under the dim of the busy cafe; ‘’- Then I’d stick the gun to his..-‘’ He then stopped and sent a look to the girl enjoying her red velvet cake; ‘’_\- You know where_.. Besides, I think these things come _naturally_. Would you be with a woman if you didn’t meet me, for example? ‘’ Akabayashi watched his man's thin brows go up and eyes narrow dangerously like a feline eyeing its prey.

However, the red haired executive has long learned not to fall into his trap; ‘’- You threatened to get engaged with a woman when we fought one time, Shiki. You don’t have the right to question me on this matter, and you know it. ‘’

Shiki shrugged a little; ‘’- I was drunk. And that woman was a dominatrix, she wouldn’t marry me. I can tell other things she was willing to do, _to me_, but that has to wait. ‘’

Akabayashi took a breath in, bit his lower lip, then lifted a hand as in; _‘ I don’t even have anything to say to you. ‘_

* * *

In the next two hours, they visited a bookstore, the _Muji_ store by the station, and ended up in a public park. Under a tree, four university students were conversating; an old couple was by the fountain, Akabayashi was having a phone call at the bench across while Shiki sat with the girl reading a storybook. 

After reading for a short time, Akane closed the book and started dangling her legs slowly, a cloud moved and the bench got veiled under shadows; 

-‘’ Do you think I can love, Shiki-san? In, um, when I am in _this world_.. ‘’ The executive lowered his eyes and looked at her, knowing which _world_ she was talking about. 

When Akane lifted her eyes, a little hesitantly, and looked at him; she saw a new face of the executive she hasn’t seen before. Not even in doctor Kishtani’s house. This face was young, she realised she was unaware of how meaningful this man’s eyes actually looked, and how kind they could be.

Taking a breath, Shiki lowered his upper body a little, and turned to her;

  
-‘’ You’re born into an unkind world, _young girl;_ and a world full of violence. And I am not talking about _the world_ of your family- ‘’ He lifted his index fingers and drew an imaginal sphere, accentuating which world he was talking about; ‘’- This big world that looks small to many people’s unaware eyes..’’ Akane watched as the expression on the executive’s face got a little sad then. He lowered his eyes to the children’s book on the girl’s hand and continued;

  
-‘’And I am not going to lie, Akane, this world might pull the kindness from your heart, _this world might even break your heart_. But if you-‘’ He looked at her and smiled lightly; ‘’- If you fall with a person, who has this.._huge heart_, and more than willing to share a part of it to fill what might be _broken_ in you; then don’t let their hands go, okay? ‘’ He then leaned back to the bench and saw _the heart_ walking to him with a phone in his hands.

Akabayashi extended the phone to him; ‘’- Deal with this, Shiki. I didn’t even get what is the problem. ‘’ With that, they changed places as Shiki went to the other bench and took over the phone call. Akabayashi sat next to Akane and peeked at the book on her knees; _‘ The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde ‘ _They had a copy of it back in their apartment, too. The girl seemed to be in deep thoughts, slightly caressing the paperback of the book;

After a while, she looked at Akabayashi; ‘’- Ne.. Uncle Akabayashi, did you-‘’ She then paused for a moment and lifted the book to the side of her face, masking and coming closer to him just like she saw Shiki and her _uncle_ do in the cafe; ‘’- Did you give a piece of your heart.. to Shiki-san? ‘’

Akabayashi didn’t know whether he should give in to the warmth in his chest, flowering like a spring flower; or give in to the fact that Mikiya really was going to shoot them. He took his glasses off, lowered his face and scratched the side of his forehead; ‘’- I uh..okay- ‘’ He then put his glasses back on and turned his eyes to the direction of the sun. ‘’- I guess I can tell you..’’

He recollected a day from eleven years ago;

-‘’ It was the day of our highschool graduation, and your _other uncle_ didn’t show up to the ceremony, you see? So I looked for him _everywhere_ until it was the dead of the night, and the streets were completely empty-‘’ The girl interfered;  
-‘’ Why didn’t you just call him? ‘’ _Now that, made him feel very old;_  
-‘’ Well not everyone had phones back then, Akane. Let me continue-‘’ The girl nodded, Akabayashi continued, closing his eyes and letting a deep breath out; ‘’ I found him at a park, he was sitting on the grass. I remember he didn’t had a coat on him, and he was talking to a cat- ‘’ Akane tilted her head;  
-‘’ A cat? ‘’  
-‘’ Yeah he wasn’t as_.. sane_ back then, believe me. After he let the cat go, and even said _‘itterasshai’_ from its back, I sat next to him-‘’ He opened his eyes and looked at the white suited man's slightly hunched figure holding a conversation and lighting a cigarette;

‘’- Everything was silent. All of a sudden, Haruya said _‘ Ah, it broke. ‘_ He looked at the stars, then to me- ‘’ Pausing for a moment, Akabayashi looked at the girl’s eyes, listening to _their story_ carefully, then continued;

‘’- _‘ Did you hear that, Mizuki? ‘_ He asked. I listened, there wasn’t a living thing around us, Akane. _‘ Now it shattered, now it’s crumbling, you cannot miss this sound, do you hear it? ’ _ He asked me like this couple more times until I said _‘ What is it, Haruya, what broke? ‘_ –

-

_Haruya looked at the empty pavements behind; his fingers digging into the green grass; the other’s dark brown coat on his shoulders; ‘ Now the street sweepers will come and sweep it away. What a waste. I was hoping I could hold on to it a little longer..’ With that, Mizuki held him from his shoulders and turned him to himself;_

_‘ What are you talking about, Haruya, what broke? ‘ Haruya’s lips strained to an inaudible laugh, feeling his entire weight on the other’s hands. He came closer, as if he was going to give a secret, and pointed him to come closer too. So Mizuki sticked his cheek to the other's, and heard him, _

_He heard him._

_‘ My heart, Mizuki. I think that was my heart. ‘_

_-_

Akane asked; ‘’- Do you know what made his heart break? ‘’ On that, Akabayashi’s lips tightened, he nodded and his glance stopped at Shiki talking to the phone and massaging his neck in a stressed manner;

-‘’ I do. But unfortunately I cannot tell you, miss. It’s very private, I hope you understand. ‘’ She gave a sound to indicate she understood;  
-‘’ So you shared your heart with him? How did he accept; Shiki-san doesn’t even accept when I offer him chocolate..’’ She pursed her lips, making Akabayashi laugh outloud;  
-‘’ You’re right, he doesn’t. Maybe he was..-‘’

Whatever he wanted to say there, refused to come out until a silence passed all of them. A bird flew, the old couple by the pond walked past them.

The girl and the yakuza’s eyes connected;

‘’ - He just was very tired, Akane. ‘’

-

_‘ You don’t hear it? Not at all? I thought you’d hear it, Mizuki, really; It felt like you could hear it, are you sure? ‘ Mizuki closed his eyes, bit down hard on his bottom lip; because one of them had to stay collected at that point._

_He stole a breath from the night sky, and wrapped the other more to the coat once he managed to pull himself together; ‘’- I am going to tell you something. It could be complete bullshit; But you’re not going to laugh at me, okay? ‘’ He took his ice-cold hands, and made him curl them into fists by closing his own hands on top of them._

_Haruya stirred, making a move to stand up; ‘’ Are we going to fight? That’d help right now actua-‘’ _

_Mizuki held him down from his one shoulder; ‘’- Sit the fuck down. You’ve fought enough, Haruya. No, we’re not going to fight. ‘’ He snuggled to him, and now they were sitting side to side, only the aged trees witnessing their conversation hidden in darkness; _ _‘’- I heard somewhere that one’s heart is the size of their fist-‘’ He clenched his left hand into a fist and compared to Haruya’s right fist;_

_ ‘’- If that’s true, then look, my heart is kinda big, right? That means-‘’ He unclenched his fingers and brushed them on the other’s hair, then lowered them to the piercing in his one earlobe; ‘’-What I can do is.. I can share it with you, if you want. ‘’_

_The other turned his head and started chuckling like a twelve year old then._

_Mizuki slapped a hand to his shoulder; ‘’- You were not supposed to laugh at it, goddamit Haruya. ‘’ The boy next to him dropped the coat on his shoulders, then laid both of them down onto the fabric in a swift move. Everything stilled then, Haruya too, Mizuki too, stars too;_

_‘’- Let’s go home- ‘’ Mizuki offered after a while, but Haruya closed his eyes;_

_‘’- This is home. ‘’ He said, and Mizuki heard him._

_Mizuki heard him when he had no one to hear him._

_Haruya took out a pocket knife and put it in between their heads; ‘’- This is home, and I am going to sleep now. Be careful, there are dangerous people around. ‘’_

_And this, is the story of how their hands connected on top of knives._

_\--_

‘’- What is the conversation about? ‘’ Shiki asked while extending the phone to its owner. Akabayashi smirked;

-‘’ I was just telling miss Akane about the ear piercing you had back when we were at highschool. ‘’ Akane didn’t let anything out and played along with the scenario. The three started walking back to the offices;  
-‘’ I can still pull a piercing off, Akabayashi-san; But what are we going to do about the photographs I have with your hair-‘’ The red haired man immediately stopped him;  
-‘’ _No_. I resign, don’t even talk about it- ‘’ But then he stopped for a moment on the sidewalk and looked at him, remembering; ‘’- Wait, _you_ made me do that- ‘’ He looked down at Akane, who was in between them, holding their hands just like in the morning; ‘’- Your _uncle Shiki _right there used to work in a hairdresser’s shop . The styles he can do, I am telling you, if you ever need to get your hair done, make him do it, Akane. He can’t refuse, you’re the princess of Awakusu. ‘’

He then added, exchanging dangerous glances with the other; ‘’- I am also pretty sure he can recite the top products in any _Avon _catalogue from the eighties. ‘’ Shiki huffed a laugh on that;

  
-‘’ Does she even know what an avon catalogue is? ‘’ Giving the point a justice, Akabayashi quizzically looked at Akane. The girl shaked her head. On that, the red haired executive sighed deeply;  
-‘’ We’re getting old, Shiki. ‘’  
-‘’ You’re getting old, I am fine. ‘’

Once Mikiya’s black car appeared in front of the building, Shiki patted a hand on the girl’s bee-shaped backpack; ‘’- Go ahead honeybee. See you later. ‘’

Awakusu Akane bowed in front of her uncles and thanked them; ‘’- I had so much fun, uncle Akabayashi, uncle Shiki. I hope we can do it again sometime. ‘’ She then turned and got into the car. Mikiya sent the two of them a cold look, the executives replied by giving small bows. Then the car drove away.

Still in front of the building, Shiki lit a cigarette. He extended the package to the other too but he refused. So Shiki informed; ‘’- We don’t have anything left for today. What’s the plan? ‘’ The other executive looked _very_ happy on the information;

-‘’ Really? Then let’s go home, _uncle Shiki!_\- ‘’ He patted a hand onto his man’s shoulder. They went into a dark, short route to their apartment; ‘’- I can’t believe we’re going to be home before the sunset. Isn’t it exciting? ‘’ The other’s mind however, was busy with something else that made his lips curl into a wide smirk;  
-‘’ That hair.. _you looked like a fucking chicken, _Mizuki-‘’ He broke into a laughter and pulled the cigarette off his lips; ‘’- God dammit you made me remember it after all these years. ‘’ Once his laughter settled down, he rubbed his eyes and took a long drag from his cigarette; ‘’ – _fuck_, I haven’t slept in two days, I am so tired.‘’

The red head poked _the side_ of his white pants with the edge of his cane. Shiki turned and looked at him; ‘’- Hm? ‘’

-‘’ I’ll cook for you. ‘’ They were in an alleyway, Akabayashi placed a quick kiss onto one of his high cheekbones. Shiki smirked;  
-‘’ Ah my considerate lover. ‘’ Meanwhile, he was searching for something in his pocket jacket. He found his earphones, and attached it to his phone; ‘’- _This_ might be the only thing I love about the times we’re in, Mizuki. We used to fucking.. carry those huge casette players, _walkmans_, you remember? ‘’ Akabayashi indeed remembered. In fact, it was him who gave the other his walkman, _and_ bought him all the _Queen_ cassettes. It was all a bribe, that escalated to an eleven year old relationship.

But that’s a story for another time.

He peeked at the other’s phone screen to see what he was listening to; _‘ Now Playing; Queen - Bijou ‘_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Puts a fancy beret on and talks*; In this work.. I wanted to reflect the huge gAy EnErGy I am getting from Shiki Haruya. Thank you. that's it. I hopefully will see you in the second chapter. 
> 
> (Yeah.. eighteen year old Shiki convinced him that bleaching the ends of Aka's hair was a good idea. Yeah. That.. happened. yEAH.)  
The second 'part' of this series will tell their backstory. But the second 'chapter' of this one will.. be domestic fluff and a little smut. It will continue from where we left in this chapter.** Uhm.. I said that they are in 'eleven' years old relationship; just wait for the next chapter :')


	2. The Anatomy of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocab;  
1- Shonen'in; Juvenile Training School. It is an institution of the Ministry of Justice (in Japan) that gives corrective 'education' to juveniles committed by the Family Court. 
> 
> 2 - Haru no ko; means 'child of the spring '
> 
> I am not a native English speaker, but I try my best. I hope you enjoy this\o/

Part Two – The Anatomy of Love

Shiki lifted the grocery bag and looked at the broccoli and zucchini they’ve bought for the dinner;

‘’- I think you should use less butter as possible. Also, if you’re going to add meat, then cut up some tomatoes too, it suits the recipy..’’

They were climbing up the stairs, the keys attached to the keychain jangled as Akabayashi reached for them in his pocket; ‘’- _Hai hai,_ I’ll do as you like. ‘’

They stopped in front of the brown doormat, Akabayashi unlocked the door, and Shiki went in first with the groceries. While the other carried the grocery bags to the kitchen; Akabayashi took off his shoes, and then placed both of their shoes to the metal shoe rack before taking the keys out and closing the door. He heard Shiki having a phone call then. He put his cane into the metal umbrella-stand next to the door, there were two black umbrellas inside.

He went into the bathroom, washed his hands and face, then found the other executive inside the living room. There were two wide sofas at the two sides of the room and an armchair in between them, all in a rich, dark green colour. Shiki was at one of the sofas, he was massaging his neck while talking. He then moved his shoulders in an uncomfortable manner; 

-‘’ Look, don’t try to question what I do; _While you were herding the sheeps, I was the old MacDonald who had a fucking farm alright? _Tell the guys to move the trucks in night, we have men at the control spots..’’

Smirking at his sentence, Akabayashi sat to the armchair. He took off his glasses, wiped them, then put them into its black case. He then placed the case and his phone onto the rectangle coffee table before creeping behind the executive talking to the phone;

  
-‘’ Yeah, just give them our _gifts_ and they’ll let you pass, no questions asked-‘’ Shiki felt Akabayashi’s fingers at the back of his neck, scratching –and _tickling_\- where the ends of his hair was. He sent him an elbow, which the other slipped easily. Then putting his thumb and index finger, he started massaging his neck. Shiki closed his eyes and bit his lip at the _needed_ sensation;  
-‘’ Alright, call me when its all done. ‘’ With that, he ended the call. Akabayashi moved down to his shoulders, now using his both hands, and brought his lips next to his ear; 

-‘’ Y’know..I could do this much more _efficiently _if you were lying on the bed _upstairs _or something..’’ Shiki smirked and moved his neck side-to-side;  
-‘’ I thought you were going to cook for me? ‘’ Strenghtening the pressure of his fingers, Akabayashi took the other’s scent in, his nose buried inside the black, _black_ hair..

This man knew how to play with fragrances, _Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford; _Only vetiver and sun-drenched citrus could mix in this well with the smell of his cigarettes, and stay dangerously _provocative_ in this land of Gods and monsters where men, _burned;_

  
-‘’ The sun hasn’t even set yet. Let’s get you hungry first, hm? ‘’ Shiki turned his eyes to him, lips almost touching. He talked against the curves on those lips, before they sticked to his;  
-‘’ Always playing, always bribing, devil man.. ‘’  
-‘’ _Well_, this is the only way we can lull the great executive to the bed nowadays. So.. ‘’ Shiki turned in a sharp move and slapped a hand to his hand on that. Akabayashi backed away a little, holding his hands up on his chest in a defensive manner; ‘’- I am sorry but that’s just how it is, Haruya. ‘’  
-‘’ Is that so? You come home at twelve in the night at the latest, I sometimes stay at the fucking office. Look this, Mizuki- ‘’ Shiki lifted his silver-ringed fingers and pointed his face; ‘’- Look at my face, look at my under-eyes. Is it fair that you say _that_ now? Don’t you see how hard I work? ‘’

Akabayashi held himself back from _‘aww’_ing at him and spoke in a soothing voice while extending his hands to the sides of his arms;

  
-‘’ Okay, _okay.._I’ll just massage your back-‘’ He then leaned in and kissed him. While Shiki seemed to return the kiss, he also creeped his hand under Akabayashi’s jacket and pinched his under-arm, making the red-haired executive back away with a hiss.

He sent him a _‘yeah that’s what happens’ _look, then pointed the hallway, upstairs where the bedroom was;

‘’- Move. ‘’

* * *

As mentioned, upstairs was where the bedroom and the bathroom was; and the bedroom opened to a little terrace. The interior wasn’t crowded. The bed was huge, a white wardrobe across it; a wide drawer unit for the perfumes, watches and neckties standing next to a full-sized mirror, light brown parquet catching the light..

While Akabayashi took off his gold bracelet, Shiki hanged his white jacket to a hanger, then took the other’s jacket too and did the same. He unbuttoned his black shirt and left it to the bathroom along with his tanktop; in front of the washing machine. Finally, he got rid of his belt and gold chain before lying flat onto the parliament blue bedsheets with his chest down.

Akabayashi found a lotion _–likely a hand lotion, but whatever-_ then dragged the terrace door open to let some air in;

-‘’ Did you actually asked one of our guys to hit your back with an iron lever? ‘’ He asked while putting his one knee in between the other’s legs and taking some from the lotion to his fingertips;  
-‘’ You don’t understand this pain, Akabayashi. That’s the only thing that’d work, probably. If the guy had the guts to do it. ‘’ Akabayashi huffed a laugh;  
-‘’ Okay where? ‘’ Twisting his arm, Shiki pointed a spot right under his shoulder-blades on his left side.

Akabayashi started massaging from his neck, then moved down to the pointed spot, aiming for the clearly stiff muscles;

‘’ - You sit hunched, and you sleep like a god-damn fetus. I am not surprised. ‘’

Shiki’s head wasn’t on a pillow, but he dragged one just to clench his fingers on it. He let out a long _‘fuck’_, then took a sharp breath in. Akabayashi’s fingers once again moved to his neck;

-‘’ How fun it’d be if you made those sounds while we have sex, too_. Ne._._Haruya_..nee..’’ Shiki sticked his face more to the fabric and grinned;  
-‘’ Well, it’s been eleven years, _honeybee_.. If we haven’t found a _way_ for _that,_ don’t you think something might be wrong?-‘’ On that, Akabayashi made a slightly harsh move, taking the revenge of that pinch he recevied downstairs.

Shiki however, just let a nasal breath out and continued his teasing; ‘’- I’d say I am also guilty but we both know it’s me who constantly comes up with.._new ideas_, you see..’’ He turned and looked at Akabayashi, his tongue sticked in between his teeth and eyes narrow like a feline creature. Akabayashi replied by just pushing his head back down;  
-‘’ Yeah I am still traumatised from _that_, thank you. I’ll pass your _ideas_ and stick to what’s traditional and efficient-‘’ After that, a silence fell between them. Shiki closed his eyes; Akabayashi’s fingers under his shoulder-blades, and a faint smell of _patchouli_ from the lotion..

A while later, Akabayashi tilted his head a little to check if Shiki was asleep. His face looked relaxed, but the dense lashes veiling sharp, brown orbs were moving. So he asked, withdrawing his hands from his back and wiping them to a hand towel; ‘’- Is it better now? ‘’

As an answer, Shiki let out a deep, _‘yes’_ sound and lifted a hand up; he pulled him from his reddish hair, into a slightly sloppy, loving kiss. The next thing, he broke Akabayashi’s balance with a simple move of his leg and dropped him down onto the sheets.

They grinned at each other’s faces. Akabayashi asked;

-‘’ Oh, you've changed your mind? ‘’ Shiki’s eyes were on the other’s shirt as he unbuttoned it, his moves calm;  
-‘’ You haven’t remembered, right? ‘’ He asked, making the red haired executive lift a brow up in a perplexed manner;  
-‘’ What do I need to remember? ‘’ The blue shirt was off, onto the parquet. Akabayashi’s hand was now at the back of short-black hair, and the other’s pale, boney fingers on his face; trailing something. With eyes quite soft; reminiscing years passed in the search of some kindness, and years spent in the arms of that said kindness;  
-‘’ It’s okay. You don’t have to remember. ‘’ He said, and invited _the lover_ to the skin of his neck; to the midnight of his bones, and tired under-eyes. Akabayashi kissed those under-eyes, their lips brushed for a short second before he moved down-

‘’- Don’t you want to rest? ‘’ Akabayashi asked as he pulled down the zipper of a pair of white suit pants, they joined to the clothing on the parquet shortly after.

He watched Shiki’s features as his shapely fingers unbuckled his belt; An upper lip fuller than the bottom, where the slightest move of its curves had no choice but to deepen the hollow of his cheeks. Thin brows, _very_ high cheekbones; some bumps and redness on the skin near his jawline, and a little cut, likely from a morning shave..

The other pair of pants were on the parquet too now, Shiki looked at him;

‘’- I’ll sleep while you cook. ‘’ Akabayashi blinked once before letting out a breath and nodding;

‘’- Okay..’’ His hands were trailing the muscles on Shiki’s stomach while he found a bottle of lube and a condom from the white drawer. Shiki got rid of his boxers and dropped the pillow next to him onto the floor to position himself better. His hands brushed his pelvis bones, then closed on his manhood while Akabayashi’s hands tightened on his legs. He pulled him closer, the fabric of the sheets tingled his back; muscles there warm from the massage.

Shiki was playing with the back of Akabayashi’s hair while the other was busy preparing him;

-‘’ Your hair is getting long. ‘’ He said, then took a sharp breath in and wetted his lips before folding his one arm behind his head and forcing himself to relax. Akabayashi added an another finger and hummed a _‘yes’_;  
-‘’ Would you cut it for me? ‘’

-‘’ Okay.’’

With his empty hand, Shiki took care of his partner’s manhood too, and then brushed his two fingers on the vein next to his neck; ‘’- I think that’s enough, devil man, come low- ‘’ He patted a hand to his one shoulder, then released the arm under his head. He reached to the condom next to him and tore open its packaging before extending it to the other. His long legs rested on the sheets as Akabayashi put the condom on and sent a teasing look to him;

-‘’ Don’t worry I’ll not tire your back. ‘’  
-‘’ Ah shut the fuck up..’’ Shiki quietly said after a _‘tsch’_ sound. ‘_As if you could..’_

Akabayashi was halfway in. He groaned, and felt Shiki’s nails digging onto his shoulders. He lowered his upper body by taking strenght from his one hand on the sheets and bit down on Shiki’s upper lip, making him react immediately and _ferally;_ His fingers clenched in his red hair.

With that, Akabayashi pushed himself fully in one motion and didn’t move as Shiki’s lips parted, a moan left his chest and turned into somewhat of a roar at the end. The clench inside his hair got painful, but it was worth it;

-‘’ Is everything alright there? ‘’ The red haired executive asked with a smug smirk on his face. He leaned and put a kiss on his left cheek; ‘’- What did I tell you; traditional, and _efficient_.‘’ With that, he started quickening his thrusts. He could see the clench of the other executive’s teeth, his eyes were closed as he concentrated to the rhythm. Those boney fingers in his hair were unwrapped, now nails trailed his jawline;  
-‘’ _fuck.. _Go faster, Mizuki ‘’ On that, Akabayashi balanced his forearm down onto the sheets and did as he told him. Shiki’s other hand was wrapped on his own lenght, Akabayashi pressed their foreheads together and listened to his whimpers. Shiki wiped away the sweat on the other’s temple.

He slowed down when Shiki pulled him into a long, passionate kiss. After that, he asked;

-‘’ Are you close? ‘’  
-‘’ Yeah, go ahead ‘’ His breath right beside his lips, and the fluttering of his coal black lashes on top of his left cheekbone, Akabayashi started driving both of them to climax. He came first, muscles contracting and letting go, the movement torn from the heart of the nature; Syllables of _his name,_ born in spring; _‘ Haruya ‘,_ a prayer for sunset.

Colours inside the bedroom changed when a cloud moved, and suddenly all was in the colour of fallen pomegranates under sun; Akabayashi wrapped his hand to the other’s lenght and made him _reach_. He watched as he did; this lean body, arching under him; part of it covered in fog-fallen gardenias and the scars; Yes, the walls would tremble in their skin if they heard their story.

_He_ shuddered, and made the sunset smile against the upcoming night- 

* * *

When all passed, Akabayashi extended a hand-towel to the other executive and laid down next to him to rest for a second. They turned to each other, sharing the one pillow Shiki hasn’t thrown onto the floor.

Akabayashi’s hand moved along his thigh; ‘’- I’ve missed you. ‘’ He said quietly. _They were under the same roof; but one coming home at two-three in the night, sometimes basically sleeping in the living room, it sometimes did not feel so._ Shiki nodded, he was aware; he needed to reduce his workload somehow;

-‘’ I feel drunk. ‘’ He sighed and said while trying to fight with the heaviness of his eyelids. Akabayashi smiled at the action;  
-‘’ That’s expected, considering you haven’t slept in two days, and I am also pretty sure you haven’t slept _in your own bed_ in four days. ‘’ He brought his fingers to his lashes and they closed immediately.

Shiki’s one hand was blindly searching for the comforter. Seeing it, Akabayashi sat up on the bed and pulled the fabric to his shoulders before putting a kiss to the small razor cut on his jawline;

‘’- I will come wake you up when the food is ready.‘’

Before leaving to take a quick shower; He closed the blinds, _but not all the way down_, and left the terrace door open; white doorway curtain flowed up and down with the air, Shiki was already fast asleep when he left the room.

* * *

Weird enough, they would never smoke in the living room or the bedroom. Kitchen was where they would come to take smoke breaks. The kitchen table adjascent to the wall with four chairs was wooden, and was painted in a forest green; This special corner of the kitchen was where they would spend insomniac nights conversating till dawn, or get horribly drunk, or sometimes just sit quietly and read newspapers..

Two grocery bags were on the table, next to it there was a black ashtray, Shiki’s cigarettes and lighter.

Before getting started to cook, Akabayashi sat down and lit himself a cigarette. He called his mother, to ask her how her health was. After that, an hour was spent mindlessly going through Twitter. The room was in the lifeless blue of dusk when he realised the sun has set. He stood up, flicked the lights on, then started cooking; He took out the ground beef from the freezer, washed the vegetables, and cut up some carrots..

Now he was looking down at a tomato, debating whether or not to peel it before adding into the mix. He brought the knife to just cut it into four pieces and be done with it, but he could already hear Shiki complaining about ‘_how the tomato’s skin separated and felt like plastic in his mouth when chewing..’ _

So he peeled the tomatoes.

Thinking some rice would go well with the dish, he took out the rice-cooker and set it. He placed a pan onto the stove, found the soy sauce and the _teriyaki_ sauce and set them down onto the countertop. After all that, he left the kitchen and walked upstairs to wake the other executive up. The wooden stairs creaked under his weight.

\-------------------------

In the bedroom where the light was thin, Akabayashi separated a moment to watch the other’s silhouette;

He’s been thinking about this for sometime, for years, actually_; how watching him was like standing on a cliff a little too far from the sea._ _It would be midnight, dark, and a boat would pass, very quietly; trays of white light would flicker under moon and reflect onto the water. The boy would feel something waver on his left side then._ Akabayashi brought a hand under his ribs and sighed. He sat beside him and said his name just once; _‘ Haruya ‘._ Two brown orbs immediately opened and looked at his direction. Akabayashi smiled.

_And only his waves crashing under night-sky could be washed in such violence, but still manage to love this deep._

Akabayashi knew;_ It took a great strenght to love, when you crashed and crashed to the salt-lined rocks of the shore; and you burned, your wounds burned, and you still fought to be able to love. _Akabayashi’s one hand caressed his hair and he pointed his head towards the door;

_ -‘’ _I am making rice too. Take a shower and come downstairs, hm? ‘’ But when Shiki’s eyes closed back, he poked his shoulder and made a move to stand up; ‘’- Come on executive, have a decent dinner with your man, get up. ‘’ Shiki groaned some things _into_ the pillow, then turned and dangled his legs from the bed, the comforter awkwardly wrapped around his naked body, and his hair a mess;  
-‘’ Okay.. Could you make some coffee, Mizuki?-‘’ He rubbed his eyes; ‘’- I_..uh.._left the press pot by the sink. I think.‘’ He heard Akabayashi’s _‘okay’_, and rescued himself out of the fabric. He walked to the shower while scratching his stomach and yawning.

After shower, with a white towel around his neck, Shiki pulled out a set of chocolate brown bedsheets from a storage unit and changed the bedsheets. He then gathered the dirty laundry and started the washing machine. He was wearing a v-neck gray t-shirt and shorts, his slippers made frictious sounds on the parquet. He walked downstairs, then opened the kitchen door. 

_Immediate smell of the rich mix of meat, tomatoes and juicy vegetables._ He then heard their sizzling sounds. His cup of coffee was waiting on the table, trails of steam hugging each other; He walked to the coffee, lit a cigarette, then took a sip;

-‘’ Thank you. ‘’ Akabayashi was busy stirring the vegetables on the pan, Shiki walked behind him and tried to see the almost done meal;  
-‘’ You peeled the tomatoes, right? ‘’ On that, Akabayashi looked at him in a rare, slightly _done_ look. Meanwhile, Shiki was busy opening the dishwasher and placing the clean glasses and plates to the cupboards. He stopped time-to-time to flick the ash off his cigarette and take an another sip from the coffee;  
-‘’ I still don’t understand these weird quirks of yours, Shiki; Who the fuck peels the tomato when cooking? ‘’ Shiki turned to him and extended a hand to explain his reasoning behind _why the tomatoes should be peeled_; _For the one hundred and fifteenth time_. But Akabayashi stopped him by lifting a hand against his;  
-‘’ I did, alright? I peeled the tomatoes, Shiki. I love you _that_ much, you see..’’

Shiki huffed a laugh and sat down to finish his coffee while Akabayashi mumbled to himself like an irritated old man. He turned the stove off and checked the rice-cooker to see the rice done perfectly too. He then looked at the man behind him;

  
-‘’ Do we eat here, or go to the living room? ‘’ Besides the kitchen table, there was also a long-dinner table for ten people at the other side of the wide living room.

Shiki quickly put off his cigarette and stood up to get two plates and chopsticks;

  
-‘’ Let’s go to the other room. ‘’ They both filled their plates with food and went to the living room. Shiki dragged the balcony door open before sitting down;  
-‘’ It’s this hot in spring..What are we going to do in the city when the summer actually comes?- ‘’ He mumbled, then brought his hands together; ‘’- _Itadakimasu ‘’_ Akabayashi followed the same.

Their apartment building was by the highway; making it really easy to drive out of the city in case of emergency. Day and night, sounds of cars passing the road would not stop for a second, but they were used to it.

Akabayashi reached for the remote of the TV and opened a news channel. Shiki looked at the TV screen at the other end of the room, then pointed something to Akabayashi;

-‘’ Could you pass me my glasses? ‘’ The wanted item was standing next to the remote, Akabayashi smirked as he extended the black glass case to him;  
-‘’ You don’t see shit, right? How do you even take aim and shoot? ‘’ Shiki put on his glasses, and now he was able to read the text on the screen; _Police have uncovered more details behind the discovery of nine mutilated bodies in an apartment near Tokyo_. He lifted a brow up; _’ __What's the world coming to?..’ _The yakuza man thought to himself..

His glasses made him look half his age, he could easily trick someone into believing he was a third year engineering student at _Tokyo University_. He tipped his head down slightly to look at Akabayashi over the top of his glasses;

-‘’ Do I need to shoot anything? I have my man, he can protect me. ‘’ He then blinked at him before turning his head back to the TV. Akabayashi lifted a brow up;  
-‘’ Well your man can’t really use a gun with _his eye_, but I’d figure something out for your skinny ass, I guess. ‘’ Shiki finished his food and placed his chopsticks onto the empty plate;  
-‘’ You’d rip their heads off, Akabayashi. I have my trust in you. Thanks for the food by the way-‘’ He then pointed the TV; ‘’- But change this fucking channel. ‘’

* * *

After the dishes were placed into the dishwasher, Akabayashi was sitting at the armchair, Shiki was lying down on the couch with a gray pillow supporting his back. They were watching an action movie, the main hero went into a tall building and started shooting everywhere. Shiki _almost_ rolled his eyes;

-‘’ You possibly _can not_ load that many bullets into that model of gun. Did you count how many times he fired the gun, Mizuki? I know, because I almost died using that one. ‘’ Akabayashi pressed his one hand to his cheek and looked at him;  
-‘’ Alright, you have something you want to watch- ‘’ He extended the remote to him; ‘’- What is it? ‘’ Shiki grinned at him;  
-‘’ _Naoya Inoue_ has a fight tonight for the _Muhammed Ali Trophy_ semi-finals-‘’ He skipped the channels to find the sports channel that broadcasted the fight; ‘’- I placed a bet on him, that he’s going have a knockout in the second round. You remember that Scandinavian guy, _Olav_? If I get it correct, he’s going to pay me in American dollars, fifteen thousand, directly to _my_ account.‘’ Akabayashi tied his arms on his chest and whistled, clearly impressed;  
-‘’ That’s a good money, okay let’s see..’’

_And just like that_, thirty-five minutes later, Shiki was talking to _Olav_ on the phone, with a huge grin on his face, and amused eyes on Akabayashi;

‘’- You watched that, right? Second round, just like I told you. _You see, when your ancestors were digging up some ice with a pick-axe, I was out there making igloo houses and renting them out, Olav.._’’ He then paused and listened to the confused Scandinavian at the other line; ‘’- What does that mean, you ask? It means that_ I know what I talk about._ Send me my money the hour that the banks open, alright? I’ll check it, okay, good night. ‘’ After the call, he gave the remote back to Akabayashi and laughed his ass off for good five minutes before walking to the kitchen to smoke a cigarette.

He came back with a bowl of apricots and put the bowl onto the coffee table, he also placed an empty cup for its kernel; ‘’- Eat. _You_ buy all these fruits_, I_ feel guilty when they spoil..‘’ As told, Akabayashi leaned to the bowl and took two apricots to his hand, his attention on the action movie;

-‘’ My mother told me to buy some fruits so that you get some vitamins in you. ‘’ He said, then changed the subject; ‘’- By the way, what is that thing I was supposed to remember? It’s not your birthday or something, right?‘’ Shiki was checking his e-mails, he replied without breaking his gaze from the phone screen;  
-‘’ I thought we agreed that I am not aging past this age, Mizuki_. _‘’ He then put the phone away and looked at him; ‘’- I’ll tell you when we go to sleep.‘’  
-‘’ Well alright. ‘’

It was almost midnight when the movie finished. They climbed back upstairs, mumbling to each other about the inconsistencies in the scenes. They brushed their teeth, then Akabayashi took the washed clothes out from the washing machine and brought them to the terrace. He extended the clothes to Shiki, and the other hanged them to the clothesline in order for them to dry overnight. 

When it was all done, they went to the bed and got under the thin blanket. Shiki’s head was resting on Akabayashi’s right arm, the readhead’s empty hand brushing the thin black hair. They stayed quiet like that for some time, _one thinking of an old boat sailing on the quiet sea; the other, buried in the image of sunlight falling onto pieces of broken glass at the dusty corner of a shonen’in_*;

-‘’ So?- ‘’ Akabayashi asked; ‘’- What’s that thing I was supposed to remember? ‘’  
-‘’ _Alright.._Could you check if it's midnight yet_,_ Mizuki? ‘’ Shiki held himself up on his one elbow when Akabayashi made a turn to take his phone from the drawer. He first cursed at the brightness of the screen and lowered it down; saw Shiki huffing a laugh at him, then looked at the clock;  
-‘’ Yeah, it’s officially a new day- ‘’ He then put the phone away and turned to the loved one.

Their eyes met; _The terrace lamp would always stay on when they sleep_, it’s dark orange radiance was falling into the room, separated wide lines in front of their bed. Shiki was smiling at him; that one smile which accentuated the unending youth of his light brown eyes;

He said; ‘’- Well.. _then it’s no longer eleven years- ‘’_ He bit down on his lip, escaped his eyes for a second and scratched the side of his nose; ‘’- It’s now twelve years you’ve been enduring my bullshit, Mizuki. That takes some nerve y’know, you might want to take yourself out to a drink or something..’’ He then stayed quiet as Akabayashi’s mouth fell open in realization.

He tilted his head;

-‘’ Wait, don’t tell me- _Is it_ _already_?-‘’ He mumbled, then took the phone one more time to check the date; ‘’- So today is our-‘’ He pointed his index finger at both of them respectively. Shiki just huffed a laugh and nodded;  
_ -‘’ Yeah..’’_ A silence fell between them. Akabayashi’s one hand was on his mouth, his thoughts in the mix of; ‘ How did I forget? _And_ _how fast?_ ‘ How fast the years went by?

The man beside him started chuckling while rubbing his eyes; ‘’- I can’t believe we made it, Mizuki. _Alive,_ I mean. ‘’ He was laughing in the dark, like this was the funniest thing in the world.

Akabayashi caught him from the back of his shoulders and pulled him into a _hard _hug. Shiki let him, but rescued his hand trapped in between their chests and traced the middle of the other’s collarbones.

He continued;

-‘’ You got shot three times, I got stabbed four times. _Well,_ more than four if you count the years before yakuza-‘’ He lowered his hand, his brows lifted up playfully and he looked at Akabayashi, feeling his heartbeats in the tip of his fingers; ‘’- _aaara…_aren't these the same heartbeats of the eighteen year old boy who bribed me into his life with a walkman and some mixed cassettes? ‘’

Akabayashi didn’t have anything to hide, he pressed the other’s fingers more onto his chest, and let him feel the heart beating as if he was the one who downed five cups of coffee today. He talked;

‘’- What about that crazy fuck who cracked his skull open in front of me the first time I’ve met him; who talked to cats and slept on the streets when he felt like it? Hm, _Haru no ko_, do you remember those days? ‘’

Shiki’s head was under the other’s chin now; ‘’- Ne.. Mizuki, I'll tell you something-‘’ he closed his eyes, and unraveled a memory;

‘’- It was my last day at the _shonen’in_, it was morning, they were filling up my transfer papers and I was waiting. A glass broke by the windows, the afternoon sun shone onto it. I saw something there-‘’ A pause, the sound of breathing and caressing; ‘’- A butterfly, but not the actual butterfly, _it’s shadow,_ on the pieces of glass. I said something to the shadow of the butterfly-‘’ He slowly lifted his head, dragged his breath on the other’s lips, and stopped when their foreheads touched against each other;

‘’- I said, Mizuki; _thanks for burning with me. ‘’_

It was Akabayashi’s turn to escape his gaze. He gulped, Shiki watched as his lips got thinner, the lines near them got shakier;

-‘’ Ah.. I made my old man sad. I still have it in me then, I guess. ‘’ Shiki jokingly said and earned a laugh tied to a sniff, from the other;  
-‘’ _fuck’s sake_.. just go to sleep, alright?- ‘’ He tangled his fingers into his hair and tucked him back under his chin.

Shiki just laughed at him, and discreetly wiped a hand to the side of his own face;

-‘’ You’re getting softer, it used to take more than five sentences to make you cry y'know..-‘’ On that, Akabayashi just pushed him off of himself and turned his back to him;  
_ -‘’ fuck you, Haruya. Do you enjoy doing this?-‘_’ Trying to suppress a snort, Shiki put his hand to the side of his arm, and lifted his upper body to lean at his ear;  
-‘’ Okay, I am sorry, Mizuki, turn back to me- ‘’ He then lost it there and started laughing; ‘’- _No really_, turn back; I don’t want to sleep yet, let’s sit at the terrace a bit come on, don’t be an old man-‘’ He heard Akabayashi mumbling one of the longest curses in Japanese language and didn’t see the pillow thrown at his face. Akabayashi pushed the blanket off of himself, wore his slippers, and walked to the direction of the terrace under night-sky;

‘’- Go grab some beers from the kitchen then. ‘’

.

.

.

_Last word, and a scene added for the second part of the series;_

White stars contrasting with the dark yellow illumination of a terrace, two cold cans of beer on a small, round table; driblets of water gliding down from the drinks. A black ashtray, with two cigarettes placed side-to-side; the smoke dancing, a waltz through the passing years. A smartphone, a _Queen_ song playing through the speakers..

Finally, two men, sharing a heart, and a blanket on their shoulders; sitting on plastic white chairs. The lavender smell of fabric softener clung onto still-wet clothes behind them at the clothesline, swaying with the tame midnight wind.

a butterfly flying around the yellow light;

_‘’ Shiki Haruya; first admission to the shonen’in at the age of sixteen, under the charges of thievery and starting a gang of thieves with six other homeless children. His case has been brought to the Public Prosecutor after a bloody fight between two groups at the shonen’in; He is the alleged murderer of Kanayama Irou; another juvenile at the facility. The murder weapon, a toothbrush with its tip broken off and sharpened by rubbing at a wall..‘’_

_(...)_

_After the facts were given, The Prosecutor affiliated with Awakusu-Kai looked at the now eighteen year old boy looking scrawny and pale under an immaculate black suit, and started talking;_

_‘’- This will be your final hearing which will determine whether or not you will go back to a shonen’in, and then be transferred to a regular prison after you pass the legal age of twenty; or be acquitted of the charge that brought you to the Public Prosecutor. Do you understand? ‘’_

_The boy tried very hard not to turn and look at the red-haired boy waiting anxiously behind the lawyer. The fingers on his right hand twitched to move him and he gave a weak nod. The Prosecutor continued;_

_‘’- We’ve come to a conclusion. But do you have anything to say before? ‘’_

_He was told to not say anything; but the boy had many things to say; ‘ I just wanted to stay alive ‘; he wanted to yell at the prosecutor’s face; ‘ I just wanted to survive in your shitty legal system-‘ _

_He could be out of the shonen’in in two months, if that fight didn’t broke out, and if he wasn’t pushed to fight for his life in the bloodiest way possible. Instead, he stayed there for one and a half years until recently got approved to be transferred to a normal high school, and graduate there._

_For his good behavior and perfect grades, they said._

_After exchanging a look with his lawyer, the boy lowered his face down and stayed silent. The next thing, he tried to suppress the voices filling inside his head and listened to the prosecutor._

_That day the charges against him were dropped with the ‘help’ of a yakuza organization; But yakuza would never help anyone. The boy was more than happy to be working for them, he knew there was no other world for him to survive; but the head of the organization wanted him to drag ‘that tough-looking redhead’ into the organization too._

_‘ It’s alright-‘ The redhead said when Shiki explained the situation to him; How he could end up in a real prison in the end._

_ ‘ It’s alright’ He said, he had an uncaring grin on his face; ‘ It’s not like I could study at one of those top universities y’know. My mother is going to be mad at me for joining a yakuza though, but..- ‘ He then scratched the back of red his hair and shrugged;_

_‘ I guess I’ll just burn for you nee.. Haru no ko? ‘_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just killed the entire canon. Wait. 
> 
> Um..I am surprised you've read till the end, I feel like this wasn't as.. idk.. exciting?? Just.. very chill. :D  
You see, university started and I am already quite stressed since I forgot a lot of Japanese in summer and I need to re-learn the entire language basically; so I wasn't even supposed to be writing this.. Anyway.. this will be the last thing I will post here until the end of the semester :( I am actually sad  
wait- ughhhhhhh :(  
But I really can't risk it lol (even though it's.. really REALLY fun to write and just.. live in these worlds I've created inside my head. It's really comforting) 
> 
> Uh..


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